21 настай боксчин Мозес Итаума тулааны эхний үеүдэд давуу байдалтай байсан ч биеийн тэсвэр тэвчээр нь хүрэлцэхгүй байсны улмаас Филип Хрговичт ялагдлаа.
Тулааны эхний таван раундад Итаума илүүрхэж, хоёр дахь раундад Хрговичийг нокдаунд оруулсан ч зургаа дахь раундаас эхлэн түүний хөдөлгөөн удааширч, хүч нь шавхагдсан байна. Дэвид Хэйгийн дүгнэснээр, Итаума богино хугацаанд хэт их хүч зарцуулсны улмаас найм дахь раунд гэхэд бүх нөөцөө барж, хамгаалалтгүй болсон нь ялагдалд хүргэжээ. Тулааны дараа Итаумаг дамнуургаар рингнээс гаргаж, эмнэлгийн үзлэгт оруулсан бөгөөд Британийн боксын хяналтын зөвлөлөөс түүнд 45 хоногийн эмнэлгийн хориг тавьсан байна.
Итаума мэргэжлийн боксын замналдаа 30 раунд л тулалдаад байсан нь түүнийг дэлхийн аваргын түвшний урт хугацааны тулаанд бэлтгэлгүй байсныг харууллаа. Түүний дасгалжуулагч Бен Дэвисон тулааны явцад тактикийн хувьд зөрчилтэй зааварчилгаа өгч, улмаар Итаума үндсэн суурь техникээ алдан, рингний суранд тулаан хийхэд хүрсэн нь Хрговичид боломж олгосон юм.
Промоутер Фрэнк Уоррен болон Queensberry промоушн Итаумаг яаран тулаанд оруулсан нь түүний ирээдүйн хөгжилд сөргөөр нөлөөлж болзошгүйг шинжээчид анхааруулж байна. Ирэх тулаануудад Итаумаг Гвидо Вианелло эсвэл Эфе Аджагба зэрэг боксчидтой тулалдуулж, тэсвэр тэвчээрээ нэмэгдүүлж, тактиктай тулалдах арга барилд суралцуулах нь зүйтэй хэмээн үзэж байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүй эх сурвалжийг харах
Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
The 21-year-old was styling on Hrgovic for five rounds before his entire body betrayed him. Paramedics carted him out on a stretcher, doctors checked him over in the hospital, and the British Boxing Board of Control slapped him with a 45-day medical suspension. Warren wants his blue-chip asset resting before plotting the next move. Rebuilding fights are fine, but serving up tomato cans for quick highlight-reel knockouts will only hide the cracks Queensberry needs to investigate.
The cozy fantasy peddled by his camp is that Itauma simply punched himself out, got carried away by the crowd, and learned a cheap lesson. That spin protects egos. The cold reality is that Itauma might just be an explosive sprinter without the biological fuel tank required for twelve-round heavyweight warfare.
His legs turned to lead by the sixth round. That is an atrocious look for a prospect who spent the opening fifteen minutes cruising without absorbing real punishment.
“Itauma burned twelve rounds of gas in eight,” David Haye stated after the fight, putting his finger on the wreckage. Itauma threw every single hook like he was trying to put Hrgovic through the canvas, swinging at thin air and running his battery down to zero.
Itauma is built like a brick wall on a short frame. That compact muscle creates violent power, but carrying that much bulk requires massive amounts of oxygen. Roadwork builds stamina and smart pacing helps conserve it, but neither will turn a fast-twitch brawler into a marathon runner. If the ceiling on his lung capacity is permanent, running ten miles every morning changes nothing. He needs to stop loading up on every shot, learn to jab without malicious intent, and accept that some rounds are meant to be boring.
Ben Davison did not need the judges to tell him his man was ahead. The instructions from the corner should have been simple: use the jab, stay off the ropes, and make the slow Croatian chase him.
Instead, Davison and the corner sounded lost. One voice told him to ease off, while another told him Hrgovic was ready to be taken out. Itauma heard both, panicked, and kept swinging on empty.
By the eighth round, Itauma had abandoned every fundamental he owns. He stood flat-footed, squared his shoulders, and leaned on the ropes, trying to trade bombs with a naturally bigger, heavier puncher. His head movement died with his legs. Hrgovic did not even have to set traps. The target was stationary, completely defenseless, and waiting for the right hand that finally put him out.
Queensberry brought this disaster on themselves. Itauma walked into a world title fight with only 30 completed professional rounds in his entire career. Knocking out faded names like Dillian Whyte and Demsey McKean in one round looked fantastic on social media, but it taught him nothing about surviving when the other man hits back.
The promotional machinery was obsessed with chasing Mike Tyson’s age record. Warren rushed the development to manufacture a marketing gimmick, prioritizing milestones over the fighter’s education. Hrgovic absorbed the novice’s best shots, smirked, and dragged him out into deep water where Itauma had never learned to swim.
Dropping Hrgovic in the second proved Itauma has fast hands and real pop. What it did not prove is that he has the discipline or the lungs for a real twelve-round fight.
Running it right back is insane. Hrgovic already has the blueprint. He knows Itauma cannot hurt him over the long haul, and he knows the youngster will gas out if he survives the early storm.
Lennox Lewis brought in Emanuel Steward to teach him how to box safely after Oliver McCall knocked his senses loose. Wladimir Klitschko did the exact same thing after blowing out against Ross Puritty and Corrie Sanders. Neither man was dumb enough to rush straight back into the ring with the puncher who just dismantled them.
Bring in Guido Vianello first. The Italian has the size and ring IQ to make Itauma work without carrying the one-punch thunder to finish him. Itauma would have to box, manage his breathing, and win minutes without chasing a knockout.
Efe Ajagba is the right second step. Ajagba brings a heavy jab and a thumping right hand that will make Itauma pay for lunging in, but his slow, deliberate rhythm gives Itauma room to set his own pace.
Keep Joseph Parker, Martin Bakole, and Bakhodir Jalolov far away from this camp. Parker is far too savvy, Bakole will beat him into the canvas, and Jalolov is an enormous southpaw nightmare. Matching him with Teremoana Teremoana would just be throwing two young fighters into a meat grinder to clean up one promotional mess.
Sacking Davison tomorrow would be pure panic. Davison deserves blame for losing control of the corner, but switching trainers will not magically give a fighter bigger lungs. Davison gets one camp to prove he can teach Itauma how to box with his brain instead of his ego.
Hrgovic did not just beat Itauma. He revealed that the young heavyweight might have a strict expiration date inside the ring. If Queensberry cannot teach him how to pace himself, the next puncher with an iron chin will do the exact same thing.
